Ribble Discovery Centre

High quality outdoor learning experiences for schools are still available at Ribble Discovery Centre during the spring and summer terms 2019, despite the sea wall repair works. The shop is also open for business as usual.

Situated on the edge of popular Fairhaven Lake, the Ribble Discovery Centre is run in partnership with Fylde Borough Council and is the gateway to exploring the Ribble Estuary - one of the most important wetlands in the country and home to more than 250,000 birds.

Plan your visit

Opening times

We are open every day except Mondays, from 10am - 5pm (4pm on shorter winter days).

Festive opening times: We are closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. On New Year’s Eve we are open 10am - 3pm. All other days throughout the festive period follow our usual winter opening hours.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members

Yes

Adults

Free, but donations are very welcome

Children

Free, but donations are very welcome

Facilities

Visitor centre

Car park off-site

Toilets off-site

Accessible toilets off-site

Pushchair friendly

Refreshments

Picnic area

Guided walks

Viewing point

Shop

Educational facilities

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

Trains run from Ansdell and Fairhaven station on the half-hour to and from Preston and Blackpool South. Turn right outside the station onto Woodlands Road. Continue to the bottom of the hill. At the mini roundabout turn left onto Clifton Drive and them immediately right onto Marine Drive. After 50metres you reach and the Inner Promenade. Crosse the road into the Car Park and take the lake-side path to the right to reach the Centre after 50 metres. The walk takes about 10 minutes.

By bus

Buses run all year round every 20 minutes on Line 7 from Blackpool, St Annes and Lytham. The nearest stop is at Lake Road. Walk down Lake Road, cross the Inner Promenade and the Centre is next to Fairhaven Lake.

By road

From the south end of Blackpool, take the A584 Clifton Drive southbound towards Lytham. Continue straight on through St Annes. Turn right onto Lake Road; at the bottom, turn left onto the Inner Promenade. Parking is available on the roadside alongside the Lake or at the car parks at the opposite ends of the Lake opposite the Marine Drive and St. Paul’s Avenue turnings.

Group booking information

We welcome groups, but please phone us to book prior to your visit.

Schools booking information

We offer a unique, hands-on and fun learning experience by the seaside, with opportunities for all key stages and abilities, including mud dipping which is exclusive to the Ribble Discovery Centre. With a suite of curriculum-linked sessions on offer, our qualified, enthusiastic learning team will help you uncover the secrets of the Ribble Estuary and the creatures that call it home.

We have a large learning space which provides the perfect base for your visit. Within easy reach of the centre is a variety of interesting habitats, making a trip to the Ribble Discovery Centre a safe and exciting coastal visit.

Nature spectacles

Take a stroll around Fairhaven Lake and spot a variety of familiar ducks and geese such as mallards, Canada geese, moorhens, coots and greylags. In winter you may also notice the arrival of pochards and tufted ducks. Cormorants can be spotted stretching out their wings, whilst a little grebe may plop below the surface in search of food. In spring, birdsong fills the air as robins, blackbirds, tits and finches tune up to impress a mate. In summer, minibeasts crawl and flit among the flowerbeds whilst an evening stroll brings the chance of spotting pipistrelle bats feeding overhead.

On the far side of the lake, peer over the sea wall and look out over the panorama of the Ribble Estuary. With its vast mudflats, saltmarsh and sand dune network, it is one of the most important areas in the country for birds. Some stay all year round, whilst others stop off to refuel on migration in spring and autumn. Swirling flocks of knot, great numbers of redshanks, curlews, dunlins and black-tailed godwits are among the distinctive birds you can see here. In winter, watch for the pink-footed geese flying in V-formation.

Seasonal highlights

On the lake, look out for the first ducklings of the season. Bird-song can be heard in the trees as robins, blackbirds and a variety of tits and finches are in full tune. On the estuary, you'll see huge flocks of wading birds on migration, including black-tailed godwits, knots, dunlins, sanderlings, ringed and grey plovers.

Ducklings and goslings are on the lake and newly-fledged blackbirds and tits are exploring the gardens. There may be fewer birds out on the estuary, plenty are passing through as well as those that nest here – look out for redshanks, oystercatchers,shelducks and eiders.

The estuary is alive with flocks of wading birds returning to spend the colder months here or passing through on their way to Africa. On the lake, wintering ducks arrive, with tufted ducks and pochards joining the more familiar mallards and coots.

Noisy flocks of geese fly overhead and the calls of curlews and redshanks can be heard on the mudflats. Elegant pintails can often be seen up-close when tides are high. The lake hosts winter visitors like cormorants and great crested grebes. You may also spot peregrines and sparrowhawks hunting along the shoreline.

About Ribble Discovery Centre

Habitat

The Ribble Estuary is vast, stretching from Lytham St Annes’ on the north side, down to Southport on the south side. Between the two, the great expanse of marvellous mudflats are a vital home for nature.

Mud might not sound particularly appealing to us, but it is this which draws in more than a quarter of a million birds to the estuary at any one time. It's a restaurant for them - packed full of shellfish, worms and other tiny creatures that provide an endless supply of food. Wading birds like curlew, redshank, godwits, knot, dunlin and oystercatcher occur in abundance here, alongside colourful ducks like wigeon, shelduck and pintail.Thousands of pink-footed geese spend the long winter nights resting here too.

The nearby sand dunes and saltmarsh are also home to a variety of unusual plants and small creatures. They can be explored on a school trip or one of our family events.

Fairhaven Lake itself, is a popular destination for locals and tourists and is also a great place to spot a range of different ducks and geese. Tufted ducks dive under the water for their food while mallards, coots and mute swans glide serenely across the surface.

Conservation

Many of the birds here have flown thousands of miles from their breeding grounds in the Arctic and may continue their journeys as far as Africa. At high tide, wading birds need to rest in order to conserve energy while they are unable to feed on the mudflats. Winter is the most risky time for them, as some may have lost up to half their body weight during migration. They need to put on enough weight to survive winter and migrate in spring.

Unfortunately, the birds are often unintentionally disturbed by human activities such as dog walking, model airplanes and kites which the birds perceive to be predators. This does more than simply causing them to fly away. It uses up their energy reserves and reduces the time they have available to feed. Birds take a long time to settle and remain alert afterwards. This makes them less able to rest effectively or feed intensively after a disturbance event which can significantly decrease their chances of surviving the winter.

You can really help the birds in a few simple ways to avoid disturbing them:

Look out for any flocks of birds at high tide and keep a significant distance from them.

Keep your dog on a lead when you are near high tide bird ‘roosts’ so there is less danger of alarming the birds.

Keep well away from the water’s edge at any state of the tide because this is the area where the birds will do most of their feeding.

Don’t fly model aircraft or kites over the saltmarsh.

Partners

Thanks to our partner-sponsor Fylde Borough Council.

Site information

The Ribble Estuary is one of the most important places for birds in Europe and so has been designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under European legislation. It is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in UK law and much of the estuary is part of the Ribble Estuary National Nature Reserve (NNR). The NNR was extended in 2017 to incorporate the RSPB reserves at Marshside and Hesketh Out Marsh on the south side of the estuary.

We work in partnership with Natural England to ensure the best management for the wildlife of the estuary.

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

We love to welcome families to the Ribble Discovery Centre! Pick up a trail sheet to explore our unique, Arts Council-funded trail. The trail will help you discover more about the wonderful wildlife of the Ribble Estuary. Themed activities, interactive displays and badge-making are available everyday and we offer a programme of fun, nature-themed, family events in the holidays.

Leisure activities

Come along to one of our seasonal events, where our friendly, knowledgeable team will help you learn more about the rich variety of wildlife on the estuary and around the lake.